The Excellence of an Army
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kūṟṟuṭaṉṟu mēlvariṉuṅ kūṭi yetirniṟku / māṟṟa latuvē paṭai.
That alone is an army which can join ranks and stand together even if Death itself advances enraged.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“That is a 'host' that joins its ranks, and mightily withstands, / Though death with sudden wrath should fall upon its bands.”
“That alone deserveth the name of army which can face valiantly even the God of Death if he should advance against it in all his fury.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
கூற்று உடன்று மேல் வரினும்= கூற்றுவன் தானே வெகுண்டு மேல்வந்தாலும்; கூடி எதிர் நிற்கும் ஆற்றலதுவே படை= நெஞ்சொத்து எதிர்நின்று தாங்கும் ஆற்றலை உடையதே படையாவது.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar says that even if Death itself advances in fury, only the force that joins with shared resolve and stands to withstand it deserves the name army. The personification is classical hyperbole, not a demand for suicide or refusal of retreat and care.